Tempers flare over land use

Vacant site once pegged for Wal-Mart store still needs Town Board vote

By LEIGH HORNBECK Staff writer

Published 12:01 am, Saturday, May 14, 2011

BALLSTON -- Controversy is brewing again over land off Route 50 where the owner once hoped to build a Wal-Mart store.

This time around, Frank Rossi wants to put in 137,000 square feet of retail space and another 132,000 square feet that could be used for offices or light manufacturing. He does not have a tenant lined up.

The proposal gained the unanimous approval of the Planning Board, which passed it back to the Town Board according to town law because of its size. After several heated discussions the Town Board has yet to take a vote. Rossi's real estate broker, Tom Savino, said Rossi has spent $1.5 million on the project, but he's ready to walk away.

"If there's a call for him to spend additional dollars, he might be done," Savino said.

Six years ago, the Ballston community was rocked by controversy over a proposed Wal-Mart on the east side of Route 50 and other big-box stores on the west side. Some felt a Wal-Mart would kill business in Ballston Spa, while others wanted the convenience of the one-stop shop. In the end, the Town Board drafted a new comprehensive plan putting tighter controls on development.

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"(Rossi) has worked with us and through the process he's made a lot of compromises. On multiple levels it's good for the town and the county," Southworth said Friday.

The 75-acre parcel near the town's border with Ballston Spa stretches between Route 50 and some train tracks. Rossi installed sewer and water lines on the property. Southworth said the presence of new buildings on the land will boost the town's property and sales tax income. She's working to find a grocer to open a store there, because town residents have long said they want a local grocery store. Southworth said it doesn't mean she's working on Rossi's behalf.

"It's always better to work to bring something you want than to wait and see what happens," the supervisor said.

Town Board member Mary Beth Hynes, a Republican, said she will not vote for the project as it stands, because the board will not have enough control over what kind of store goes into the 137,000-square-foot retail portion.

"My understanding from the original proposal was of small-scale retail. The implication was it would be a strip mall," she said, comparing it to the Shops of Malta, where a Price Chopper supermarket is the anchor store. "We sent it to the Planning Board and now it's a 137,000-square-foot box and the legislation doesn't say how it's going to be broken up."